At a Glance

Join the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs and their legion of fans as we both celebrate and look to the future of this storied franchise - and it all begins in the intimate and casual atmosphere of Arizona’s Cactus League. Study the game’s history with a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, sing along with the official organist of the Arizona Diamondbacks, enjoy tall tales of legends past and discuss Cubs’ greats like Ryne Sandberg. In 2014, the Cubs opened their new baseball complex in Mesa, a destination in its own right.

Activity Level

On Your Feet

Walking up to a ½ mile; stairs at ballparks. Games attended are dependent on Cactus League schedule, which is finalized in December.

Best of all, you'll ...

Enjoy a variety of ballparks and “America’s Favorite Pastime” during four spring training games.

Meet a slew of baseball insiders- including authors, reporters, announcers and an organist.

Go behind the scenes of one of major league baseball’s most innovative ballparks, Chase Field, regular-season home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

General Notes

Meals that take place during games are on your own. In the rare case that the Cubs have a day off, a substitute game will be offered. While we request seats in the shade, we occasionally will be in the sun. For best group seating, register by Dec. 15.

Featured Expert

All Experts

Jacob Pomrenke

Jacob Pomrenke is the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Director of Editorial Content. He has been a SABR member since 1998 and is the chairman and newsletter editor for the Black Sox Scandal Research Committee. He is the author of "Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox", published by SABR in 2015. He is also a member of the Baseball Records, Deadball Era and BioProject committees. He writes regular columns on baseball history for TheNationalPastimeMuseum.com. Before he joined the SABR staff in 2011, he spent 10 years working as a reporter in California.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Jacob Pomrenke

View biography

Tim Sheridan

View biography

David Rapp

View biography

Barry Bloom

View biography

Bob Doehnert

View biography

Suggested Reading List

View 8 books

Moneyball

by Michael Lewis

Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s general manager, is leading a revolution. Reinventing his team on a budget, he needs to outsmart the richer teams. He signs undervalued players whom the scouts consider flawed but who have a knack for getting on base, scoring runs, and winning games. Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball and a tale of the search for new baseball knowledge—insights that will give the little guy who is willing to discard old wisdom the edge over big money.

SATCHEL: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye

by Larry Tye

He is that rare American icon who has never been captured in a biography worthy of him. Now, at last, here is the superbly researched, spellbindingly told story of athlete, showman, philosopher, and boundary breaker Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Tye shows Paige barnstorming across America and growing into the superstar hurler of the Negro Leagues, a marvel who set records so eye-popping they seemed like misprints, and spent as much money as he made. In unprecedented detail, Tye reveals how Paige, hurt and angry when Jackie Robinson beat him to the Majors, emerged at the age of forty-two to help propel the Cleveland Indians to the World Series. He threw his last pitch from a big-league mound at an improbable fifty-nine. (“Age is a case of mind over matter,” he said. “If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”)

Game Time: A Baseball Companion by Roger Angell,

by Roger Angell,

In Game Time, Roger Angell’s essays illuminate baseball’s heart and history in careful prose that New Yorker readers have grown to anticipate each spring. The collection spans the forty-plus years of Angell’s baseball writing career and includes many of his favorite pieces as well as never-before-published material.

Shoeless Joe

by W. P. Kinsella

W. P. Kinsella plays with both myth and fantasy in his lyrical novel, which was adapted into the enormously popular movie, Field of Dreams. It begins with the magic of a godlike voice in a cornfield, and ends with the magic of a son playing catch with the ghost of his father

The Brothers K

by David James Duncan

While this is not a pure "baseball book", baseball provides the central metaphor for this huge hypnotic novel. It is a stunning work: a complex tapestry of family tensions, baseball, politics and religion, by turns hilariously funny and agonizingly sad. The novel is narrated by Kincaid Chance, the youngest son in a family of six, the children of Hugh Chance, a discouraged minor-league ballplayer whose once-promising career was curtained by an industrial accident, and his wife Laura, an increasingly fanatical Seventh-Day Adventist. The plot traces the working-out of the family's fate from the beginning of the Eisenhower years through the traumas of Vietnam.

The Boys of Summer

by Roger Kahn

"At a point in life when one is through with boyhood, but has not yet discovered how to be a man, it was my fortune to travel with the most marvelously appealing of teams." Sentimental because it holds such promise, and bittersweet because that promise is past, the first sentence of this masterpiece of sporting literature, first published in the early '70s, sets its tone. What follows only gets better, deeper, more sentimental, and more bittersweet. The team, of course, is the mid-20th-century Brooklyn Dodgers, the team of Robinson and Snyder and Hodges and Reese, a team of great triumph and historical import composed of men whose fragile lives were filled with dignity and pathos.

October 1964

by David Halberstam

Sometimes the best sports books are not really sports books, as is the case with David Halberstam's brilliant "October 1964", which tells the story of a changing America through the microcosm of two very different baseball teams. Halberstam, one of the great living American writers, concentrates on events that occurred during tumultuous times. Halberstam examines the loser of the 1964 World Series, the New York Yankees, who represent the old America, and the winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, who represent the new.

Ball Four

by Jim Bouton

When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players were shocked. Sportswriters called author Jim Bouton a traitor and "social leper." Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force him to declare the book untrue. Fans, however, loved the book. And serious critics called it an important social document. Today, Jim Bouton is still not invited to Oldtimer's Days at Yankee Stadium. But his landmark book is still considered a classic baseball related read.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the hotel conference room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your name-tag, up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, other important information, and to learn when and where the Orientation session will take place. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation: 5:30 p.m. We will gather in our private meeting room where the Group leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. The speaker schedule that follows is tentative and minor adjustments may occur. In the unlikely event that a game is rained out, an alternative activity will be provided (no refunds). Periods in the schedule labeled “Free Time and “At Leisure” offer opportunities to make the program more meaningful and memorable while going out to explore on your own, engaging in available activities independently, making new friends among fellow participants, or simply relaxing. The Group Leader will always be happy to offer suggestions. We suggest that those who wish to explore the area in greater depth arrive early or stay on after the program. Please contact the hotel directly if you wish to make additional arrangements. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: In the hotel dining room, meals are typically buffet service with a rotating variety of choices and beverages including coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY

2

Cubs Historian, Game 1, Beat Writer

Tempe, AZ

B,D

Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Tempe ASU Area

Activity note: Driving approx. 20 miles one way to the stadium; about 30 minutes. Walking approximately 1/2 mile at the stadium, some stairs.

Morning: This mornings presentation will be by David Rapp, retired journalist and author of "Tinker to Evers to Chance: The Chicago Cubs and the Dawn of Modern America." David will delight with stories and antidotes of the original glory years of the Cubs. Following our presentation, we’ll transfer to the stadium for our first game.

Lunch: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like at the ballpark. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Game 1! We’ll enjoy our first game of the week as the Cubs prepare to get back to their 2016 World Series form. Our program was planned far in advance when details of games were not confirmed. When available, the information will be posted on the Road Scholar website under this program number and will also be included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment. The Cactus League was launched in 1946. There are now 15 teams that practice and play in a relatively tight radius surrounding Phoenix, Arizona. From MLB.com: “It is here where the ballparks are surrounded by mesas, rock formations and cacti. It is here where stars stretch and hit and throw and play games in the laid-back atmosphere of Minor League-sized parks with beautiful, warm and frequently sunny backdrops.” After the game, we’ll transfer back to the hotel.

Dinner: Hotel buffet.

Evening: Sports writer Barry Bloom is one of the best in the game today. One of mlb.com's top beat reporters, Barry has covered many of baseball's biggest events and milestones and has interviewed the game’s top players. While at the hotel, Barry will delight us with his knowledge of baseball history and anecdotes from his remarkable career.

DAY

3

AZ Diamondbacks Organist, Broadcaster, Game 2

Tempe, AZ

B,L

Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Tempe ASU Area

Activity note: Sloan Park is less than one mile from hotel, walking or shuttle option. Walking approx. 1/2 mile at the stadium, some stairs.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: At the hotel, we’ll be joined by Bobby Freeman, longtime organist for the Arizona Diamondbacks. We’ll enjoy a performance and sing-along of some ballpark classics and laugh as Bobby shares his personal story and favorite moments. When the Diamondbacks rallied to take the 2001 World Series from the Yankees in seven games, could it be that Bobby was the catalyst?

Lunch: At the hotel, we’ll have plated meals, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: Join Tim Sheridan, the Harry Caray of spring training, as he tells stories of his 35 plus years as the voice of the Cubs here in Phoenix. Broadcaster, writer, film maker, and all things Cubs, Tim is author/editor of the blog "The Boys of Spring" where he discusses the players, internal front office moves and the prospects for the coming season. Following our presentation we will free time for the rest of the afternoon prior to our late afternoon departure for the ball game.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like at the ballpark.

Evening: Game 2! The information will be posted on our website when available and included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment. Spring training has been a fact of MLB life since 1886! It was “invented” by the Chicago White Stockings (now the Cubs) who held their spring training in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Many other teams followed suit, attracted not only by warmer weather but also the idea that healing waters could help players. The move to Arizona in 1946 was also related to a local hot spring.

DAY

4

Chase Field, Game 3

Tempe, AZ

B,D

Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Tempe ASU Area

Activity note: Driving to Chase Field 13 miles one way, approximately 20 minutes. Walking about 1/2 mile; some stairs (can be avoided if need be); periods of standing for about 1/2 hour at each of 3 stops. Baseball game just 5 miles away. Walking about 1/2 mile at stadium; some stairs.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll go for a special private field trip to explore the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field with a docent and see the dugout, locker room, and museum. Chase Field is a technological marvel with its retractable roof and 1,300,000 square feet of space. As we go behind the scenes, we’ll see where players, managers, and reporters go about their business.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like at the ballpark.

Afternoon: Game 3! The information will be posted on our website when available and included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment.

Dinner: Hotel buffet.

Evening: Enjoy another baseball themed presentation following dinner.

DAY

5

Baseball historian, Game 4, Program wrap-up

Tempe, AZ

B,D

Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Tempe ASU Area

Activity note: Sloan Park is less than one mile from hotel, walking or shuttle option. Walking approx. 1/2 mile at the stadium, some stairs.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: This morning's presentation at the hotel will be by the Director of Editorial Content for the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He is the editor of “Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox” as well as numerous articles on the games early 20th century corruption scandals.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like at the ballpark.

Afternoon: Game 4! The information will be posted on our website when available and included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment. When the Cactus League was formed following World War II, profound changes were taking place throughout the U.S. Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers and Bill Veeck, Cleveland Indians owner, were among the prime movers in promoting the idea of recruiting black athletes into Major League Baseball. It was a matter of strengthening the bench, broadening the fan base, and simple morality. Commissioner Albert "Happy" Chandler, a former Kentucky governor and senator, said, "If they (Negroes) can fight and die on Okinawa, Guadalcanal, in the South Pacific, hell, they can play baseball in America." As it turned out, the Cactus League offered a more accepting climate than that which Jackie Robinson initially encountered in the Grapefruit League. We’ll then return to the hotel. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departures following our closing session in the morning.

Dinner: Tonight we will go out to a local restaurant to enjoy a plated meal with a variety of choices and beverages including coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Program wrap up and farewell comments. Say good-bye to your new friends and start packing for departure the next morning.

DAY

6

Program Concludes

Tempe, AZ

B

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Departures following breakfast. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals

10 Meals

5 Breakfasts

1 Lunch

4 Dinners

The following choices may be available when requested in advance: Vegetarian, Gluten Free

Lodging

Lodgings may differ by date. Select a date to see the lodgings specific to that date.

Welcome to Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix/Tempe ASU Area. This contemporary hotel offers an ideal location in Tempe, AZ, close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, as well as countless shops, dining outlets and attractions. Walk to Tempe Marketplace, with over 75 shops and 25 restaurants, or visit the Chicago Cubs Training Facility. Karsten and Papago golf courses are also nearby, as well as Arizona State University (ASU).

We had a wonderful time and our leader was helpful when needed and very knowledgeable of the area. We got great seats for the games we went to. Our bus driver was great and always got us near the entrances to where we went.
This was the first time Road Scholar used the hotel we stayed at and I hope they don't use it again in the future. They are relatively new and don't know how to accommodate more than one group at the same time.
What Road Scholar took care of was great though and have been trying to decide on my next trip since I got home. Can't wait for my next trip!!

Bus Transportation to and from the games was terrific to have. George the driver was a grand lad and a qualified excellent driver. ---the hotel had service to and from the airport at no expense, and this took away a area of stress one experiences when going to a new place.

The Road Scholar Program: Cubs Spring Training, March 2018 was absolutely outstanding. The accommodations were lovely, the games were fun and fine seats, and the speakers were super. Anyone who is interested in baseball would find this an outstanding opportunity provided by Road Scholar.

It was OK. Ball parks were old with poor facilities and did not have good food. They also did not have good sight lines from the seats. A lot of time was spent on the bus in heavy traffic. Hotel dinners were mediocre or poor. Coordinator was excellent and most of the speakers were good. Tour of Chase Stadium was interesting.

Chicago Cubs: Arizona Spring Training Baseball is a great program. At all four games we had excellent seats. The presenters were all knowledgeable, friendly, and well prepared. I would consider taking this trip again.

This was a fantastic trip. I enjoyed every minute of it, including getting rained out at Goodyear Stadium during a night game. The four presenters at the morning sessions before the baseball games were each unique, interesting,, and fun. The tour of the Diamondbacks Chase Field was terrific. Bob Doernert, the tour director, kept things organized and was both flexible in fulfilling a request to go to the Cubs' ballpark, but was wise to be sure there was 100% buy-in. Although I am a Giants, fan being with the happy Cubs fan was great.

The Spring Training program for the Cubs in Phoenix was something really special. I highly recommend this program and others like it to people who love baseball and want to learn more about their team, spring training, or baseball in general.